This paper reports the results of using several alternative methods of setting cut scores. The methods used were: (1) a variation of the Angoff method (1971); (2) a variation of the borderline group method; and (3) an advanced impact method (G. Dillon, 1996). The results discussed are from studies undertaken to set the cut scores for fourth grade…

This study investigated the cut score setting process as it occurred in two large Midwestern school districts, focusing on how the teachers who were the instruments by which cut scores were set experienced the process. Eight standard setting workshops using the Angoff approach were observed. Workshops for mathematics, reading, or writing at grades…

School districts and credentialing agencies use information gathered in standard setting studies to establish minimum passing scores (MPS) for a variety of purposes. These scores may be used to make decisions ranging from subject remediation to licensure. Multiple standard setting methods may be used to provide a range of scores to the…

Compared simplified variations on the Angoff and Bookmark methods for setting cut scores on educational assessments with data from a grade 7 mathematics test (23 panelists in all). Although the Angoff method is more widely used, results show that the Bookmark method has some promising features. (SLD)

Two studies of variations of the Angoff method (W. Angoff, 1971) involving nine elementary school teachers in each case compared a yes/no estimation with a proportion correct estimation for setting cut scores. Both methods yielded essentially equal cut scores, but judges found the yes/no method easier to implement. (SLD)

Two studies examined methods for arriving at cutscores in school districts, including the Angoff (W. Angoff, 1971), borderline, and contrasting groups methods and two new methods, one based on course enrollment and the other based on expert expectations. Results from a 10th grade algebra test and a test of third grade reading show the viability of…

In cut score setting processes, subject matter experts are asked to make judgments about the likely performance of examinees at a targeted skill level. When cut scores are used in K-12 settings to separate students who have and have not mastered certain skills, the target examinee may be characterized as the barely proficient or barely master…

Judgmental standard setting methods, such as the Angoff method (W. Angoff, 1971), use item performance estimates as the basis for determining the minimum passing score (MPS). Therefore the accuracy of these item performance estimates is crucial to the validity of the resulting MPS. Recent researchers (L. Shepard, 1994; J. Impara, 1997) have called…

This qualitative study seeks to tell the story of how teachers, district administrators, and consultants came together to construct a cut score to be recommended to the Willtown Board of Education. Findings suggest that cut score setting is influenced by social and political as well as educational concerns. The findings of this study suggest…

A key component of the Angoff (W. Angoff, 1971) method for setting cut scores is the target examinee. Expert judges are asked, following training and discussion, to consider the ability and the likely performance of some subset of examinees and to then estimate, item by item, the likely performance of such examinees on the test for which a cut…

This study investigated the intrajudge consistency of Angoff-based item performance estimates. The examination used was a certification examination in an emergency medicine specialty. Ten expert panelists rated the same 24 items twice during an operational standard setting study. Results indicate that the panelists were highly consistent, in terms…

A study was conducted to explore empirically the effect of different definitions of the target examinee on the judgment of panelists setting a passing score. Two cut score studies were done in a school district for the same test within a 6-month period, and different definitions of the target candidate were provided for each study. In October…

Setting performance standards on constructed-response assessments involving polytomously scored exercises presents a challenge for measurement practitioners. Some standard setting methods designed for use with multiple-choice, dichotomously scored assessments entail aggregating item performance estimates across a panel of experts. For these items,…

This paper presents a comparison of two commonly used methods, Angoff (W. Angoff, 1971) and Bookmark (D. Lewis, H. Mitzel, and D. Green, 1996), for setting cut scores on selected response tests. This comparison is presented through an application to a grade 7 mathematics assessment in a suburban Midwestern school district. Training and operational…

Many school districts are developing assessments that incorporate both selected response and constructed response formats. Scores on these assessments can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from subject remediation to promotion decisions. These policy decisions are informed by recommendations for Minimum Passing Scores (MPSs) from standard…